The present invention relates to assembly and disassembly apparatus of the type using fluid operated pullers or pushers.
The concept of disassembling and salvaging the various components of wooden crates and pallets is not in and of itself new and novel. The patent to CANNON 2,593,843, dated Apr. 22, 1952, shows an apparatus for disassembling an empty wooden crate to facilitate its being shipped to its original source whereby it may be reassembled and used again. This patent discloses a pair of adjustable arms each of which terminate in cam-like wedges or pry heads. The wedges or pry heads are adapted to engage each slat of the crate and pry same loose so that a band saw associated with said arms can then cut the nails that secure the slats to the ends of heads of the crate. In this manner the various components of the crate may be assembled in a rather compact package or bundle. Thus a large number of crates requiring very little shipping space may be returned to their point of origin where they may be readily assembled for use again.
As concerns wooden pallets, the foregoing concept is applied to damaged pallets wherein it is highly desirable to salvage the re-useable components so that same may be used in fabricating reconditioned pallets. The patents to HARVIS 3,512,242, dated May 19, 1970, and CAMPBELL et al 3,740,815, dated June 26, 1973 are directed to a disassembling apparatus wherein a pallet is mounted upon a plurality of supporting arms that are arranged in spaced parallel relation to one another. The pallet is positioned on said arms so that the pallet stringers are parallel to the arms and the top or bottom deckboards of the pallet are supported on said arms in much the same manner that a pallet is supported on the tines of a fork lift truck. This arrangement permits vertically actuated ram members to be lowered so as to engage the stringers and force them away from the deckboards supported on said arms. Subsequent to the foregoing the pallet is then turned over so that the other deckboards are supported on said arms and they in turn are removed from the stringers by the ram members engaging said stringers and forcing them away from the deckboards.
In both the HARVIS and the CAMPBELL et al devices the pallet is first placed upon the support members and the top deck boards are removed from the stringers or runners and then secondly the pallet is repositioned upon the support members so that the bottom deckboards can then be removed from the stringers or runners. The apparatus of the present invention constitutes an improvement over the aforementioned patents in that the removal of the deckboards from the stringers or runners is carried out in a single operation.